


Theories on a Probably Dead Boy

by dottie_wan_kenobi



Series: dc social media AUs [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Gen, Original Character(s), POV Outsider, Social Media, Speculation, but in the form of reddit users, canon typical harm to children discussed, r/UnresolvedMysteries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23645983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dottie_wan_kenobi/pseuds/dottie_wan_kenobi
Summary: On September 27th, 2014, an unknown boy wearing expensive clothing and only able to say one name was brought to the ER after being hit by a car. He disappeared overnight. Who was he?---an r/UnresolvedMysteries post on that time Jason came back to life
Series: dc social media AUs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1702348
Comments: 8
Kudos: 162





	Theories on a Probably Dead Boy

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [a hat fashioned from tin foil](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14356020) by [discowing (ameliafromafairytale)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ameliafromafairytale/pseuds/discowing). 



> it's 2 am, this isn't beta'd, idk if it sucks or not I wrote it in 2 hours. not quite formatted like reddit but close enough. the links aren't real. any similarities to usernames are unintended as I came up with these on the spot. I did use a reference post from r/UnresolvedMysteries to get the technical stuff down, but I also am on there a lot reading thru so I hope this sounds right!!
> 
> If there's anything wrong, lmk! I'll fix it in the morning. I might also add more responses tbh idk
> 
> EDIT 4/17/20: I realized there's something missing and will have to go back and fix it!! Will mention when there's been an update.

r/UnresolvedMysteries • Posted by u/screamingandcrying • 3 weeks ago • [LOCKED] • (5) (2) (11) • 5.8k upvotes

## On September 27th, 2014, an unkown boy wearing expensive clothing and only able to say one name was brought to the ER after being hit by a car. He disappeared overnight. Who was he?

Hi everyone, this is my first post here so I hope the way I’ve formatted this is alright. Sorry about the typo in the title, it should say unknown!

The story begins on the night of September 27th, 2014, outside of Gotham City, New Jersey. A couple, a man and a woman whose names were withheld from the public, were driving along a backroad. They were trying to get to a friend’s house and were taking a shortcut, which went through two large fields on either side. According to both, it was a quiet night, and they believed they were alone in the area.

Some time near 3 AM, they began to have a “little argument”, and the driver took their eyes off the road to look at the passenger. It’s not specified who was driving at the time. But while they were looking away, a person stumbled into the road a few yards ahead of the vehicle. By the time the driver saw, it was too late, and the car struck the person at about 40 MPH. 

Both the man and the woman exited the car as soon as it was stopped, and ran to where the person had been flung to, a few feet away. The person was a teenage boy, who was still breathing and apparently groaning in pain. He was described as being short, thin, dark-haired, and very bruised, so badly that they were unable to tell at first glance the color of his skin. Oddly, he was wearing a very expensive black suit that was caked in mud, grass, and blood.

It’s reported that the woman called 911 while the man attempted to get the boy to speak. The man said of the situation, “It’s like he was trying to talk but couldn’t get the words to come out. He was struggling really, really hard. I was asking him if he could tell me his name, or if he was okay, things like that. But I think he was trying to say just one thing, ‘cause he kept making this ‘ooh’ noise.” It’s also said that the boy was crying and looking around/behind the couple, “as if he were looking for someone”.

The 911 call came in at 3:21 AM. The ambulance arrived at the scene at 3:30 AM. EMT workers noted that some of the injuries the boy had were not consistent with being hit by a car, such as severe bruising in places other than his chest/stomach/back, including bruises in a shape that was not found on any part of the car, and split nails and knuckles (his hands were described by one nurse as being “totally and utterly ruined, worse than any other defensive wounds I’ve seen before”). The ambulance arrived at Gotham General Hospital at roughly 3:45 AM.

After being given more tests, it was found that the boy had a severe head injury and was also suffering from some kind of acute asphyxiation, on top of the already described injuries and many broken bones. (EDIT since people were asking: According to reports, the broken bones were four of ten fingers, the left wrist, left ankle, right femur, and an unknown amount of toes. It’s said the fingers and toes were likely stomped on.) These injuries were said to be more consistent with being beaten, not a vehicular collision. However, it’s worth noting that the split nails/knuckles and asphyxiation aren’t exactly normal for either event. There was no sign of strangulation.

His smaller wounds were treated that night, and he was scheduled for surgery ASAP for the broken bones, as well as scheduled for more scans. He was given a minor pain relief medication, though it appears that either the hospital or the police are being reticent on saying which kind exactly, as I can’t find more information anywhere. All we know is that he was given some kind of drug.

Before being given an oxygen mask, it’s reported that the boy was finally able to speak, but only one word. One name, in fact. “Bruce.” It’s unknown whether or not this was his name or the name of someone else, someone he knew. It’s reported that there was no staff working that night with the name Bruce, and that the man’s name is also not Bruce. One nurse stated that his room’s television was not on at the time, and that “there’s no way he would have heard it from anyone”, as they were discussing his vitals. This nurse also said that the only name he would have heard would be John, as in John Doe.

He said this name several times, apparently struggling at one time to get the name out. Another nurse said, “He was stuttering quite a lot, common for people with head injuries. He just kept asking for Bruce, and no one could give him what he wanted.” Still, the doctor promised to look for this “Bruce” in the morning. The boy appeared somewhat satisfied, and calmed enough for an IV (not sure what was in it) to be hooked up. 

Most people in the room were called away or left soon after, except for two CNAs. By this point, it was nearly 5:30 AM. They left the room at 5:35, with the intention of returning to check on the boy at 6:15 AM. When they did, it was to find the bed empty and the window wide open. The room was on the bottom floor, so while there was a drop, it was small, survivable if painful considering the condition of his legs. CCTV confirms that the two assistants left the room alone, and that no one entered or left through the door in the intervening 40 minutes.

He was reported as missing at 6:30 AM. There was an initial attempt to search the hospital made by staff before police were called, which lasted fifteen minutes. After going through the entire hospital, it was found that he was not hiding anywhere inside, and must have left through the window or was already gone. Cameras outside of this part of the hospital were recently broken, and therefore no video was taken. The only evidence found inside was from his room—the suit he’d been wearing had been bagged up at some point, and it was clear someone had opened and rifled through the contents. It’s unknown if anything was taken from the pockets, although it’s worth note that this suit is said to have been a Tom Ford.

Outside of the window, the bushes were trampled, supporting the idea that he had gone out that way. Dogs were brought in (as hospital staff were very concerned about the head injury) and followed the scent from the bushes to the parking lot, then to the main road where the smell was lost.

Follow ups were made with other local hospitals, but no boy fitting the description ever came in to one. The official description reads, “13-18 year old boy, dark brown hair, dark blue eyes, coming in at 5 foot 0 and weighing approximately 100 pounds. He is thin with potentially many scars all over his body. Identifying marks include faded freckles over the bridge of his nose and cheeks, as well as a 1.5 inch scar on his chin. Last seen wearing a light blue hospital gown.” There are no pictures of him. 

Theories as to what happened to the boy, subsequently nicknamed Bruce Doe, range from him simply running away to kidnapping to human trafficking. No one has ever claimed to be either the boy or “Bruce”. There haven’t been any missing children matching his description with a connection to a Bruce. 

Personally, seeing as it’s been nearly six years since this happened, I am of the opinion that he ran away trying to find “Bruce”, somehow died, and his death was never reported. Another thing that I find very odd is that clearly _someone_ knew him. You don’t just find Tom Fords lying around, he must’ve been given it. Why wouldn’t this person, possibly Bruce, come and look for him? At least report him missing? What do you guys think?

**Some links:**

Doe Network: doenetwork.org/cases/623dmms.html

Local News Story: gothamgazette.com/2014/09/27/boy-missing-from-hospital/

Google Maps location of where he was hit: google.com/maps/place/New+Jersey/@40.0676363,-75.8454513,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c0fb959e00409f:0x2cd27b07f83f6d8d!8m2!3d40.0583238!4d-74.4056612

2.4k Comments • Share • Save • Hide • Report

**\- bastionfucker** • 2.2k points • 3 weeks ago

Is anyone else very suspicious of the staff? I live in Gotham, I’ve been to that hospital, and I can assure you that the level of concern they seem to have about this kid is weird as fuck. I’m not saying that everyone who works there is totally unfeeling, but many workers are worn down from long, hard shifts, and just cannot care that much about individual patients. I guess it’s possible a lot of them just don’t want the scandal, but those assistants…. Idk guys. Staying behind when others left, they were the last to see him, and then being Very Worried about his wellbeing? Plus all the secrecy with the drugs. It doesn’t feel right to me.

 **\-- PM-me-your-teeth** • 1.8k points • 3 weeks ago

yeah, i was also immediately suspecting them of something. i could be totally off but i hear the rumors about the hospitals here, i know some of the rogues use them as a way to fuckin recruit their goons. this kid was probably high as a kite on top of suffering from a brain injury, plus he was looking for someone. if that doesn’t scream vulnerable idk what does. 

**\- o0o0o0of** • 2.0k points • 3 weeks ago

Something to think about: is Bruce his name, someone he’s looking for, or someone he’s scared of? He had injuries like he’d been beaten up (and the oddly shaped bruises make me wonder if he wasn’t beaten with something?). He kept saying the name. He left through a window while suffering from a head injury and several serious leg/foot injuries. What if he was asking about Bruce like wondering if Bruce was there, if he was safe? What if Bruce found out he’d gone to the hospital and came and took him? As for who Bruce is, I’m thinking he could be some kind of abusive family member or friend, maybe a drug dealer or pimp, or even a trafficker. 

**\-- doooobiedoobiedoooo** • 1.8k points • 3 weeks ago

I also thought this! he just appears out of fucking nowhere in the middle of the night, looking around behind the couple like he thinks this Bruce might be there?? I was going to mention the crying as well but that could very likely be only because of the whole being hit by a car thing, though I do think it’s worth noting. I wonder if him appearing “satisfied” was bc he was hearing Bruce wasn’t in the hospital.

**\- boubouthefoufou** • 1.2k points • 3 weeks ago

I feel terrible for this poor kid. I honestly don’t see how he could be alive right now. Even if he got away on his own, what, did everything just heal up on its own? Hell nah. If he’s alive and free, then he’s probably in some pretty bad pain trying to walk on fucked up legs like that. Or he’s alive and in some kind of captivity — I’m thinking human trafficking, this hospital is notorious for that shit — with all these old injuries still. I don’t want that to be true, I really don’t. 

**\- monsterhugger25000** • 1.0k points • 3 weeks ago

I went looking thru NamUs, is it possible that this boy is this body? they have similarities, obviously hair is a different color and the body weighed quite a bit more than Bruce Doe, but he was also found about 7 months after this happened. idk about the hands though, that guy didn’t have anything identifying about them, and if Bruce Doe’s hands were really that bad I think that would leave a mark.

**\- [deleted]** • -1.4k points • 3 weeks ago

could it be Jason Todd? the hand injuries sound like he could’ve broken out of his coffin, plus where he was hit isn’t that far from the graveyard he was buried in. it was reported that his coffin was broken into, his grave supposedly “robbed”. and he was covered in mud and grass, and suffering from asphyxiation? Bruce like Bruce Wayne? he wouldn't be in the system as "missing" because he was dead. come on, I can’t be the only one thinking this!

 **\-- hmmmmmmmmmm** • 1.5k points • 3 weeks ago

Dude. Yeah, okay, maybe the circumstantial evidence adds up but this happened six months after he died. If we’re going to talk about Jason Todd, I’d rather discuss the grave robbing, no quotations required because it actually happened. I’d rather discuss the fact that a fifteen year old’s body is god knows where. I’d rather discuss possible motives for grave robbing but never asking for any kind of ransom. But there’s a time and place, and this isn’t it. Make your own post, or better yet, go over to r/NoSleep and make something up.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! If you enjoyed this, please consider leaving a comment and letting me know what you thought. Would you like more fics like this?
> 
> You can find me on tumblr [here](https://dottie-wan-kenobi.tumblr.com), or on twitter [here](https://twitter.com/wan_dottie)!


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